Marked by Nightmares
by Sengo OpalKnife
Summary: Johnathan Felix II ran away from home to live a life on his own; a life away from his abusive father and his accursed whiskey business. But when a chain of events occur starting with a nightmare of a mysterious woman, he soon realizes he and the fate of a strange, new world may be connected. But how? And why? Rated M for blood, violence, cursing & some adult themes
1. The Encounter

I wasn't much of a person to believe in magic, dreams, and the paranormal. Frankly, I wasn't a very superstitious individual either. I lived in a small farm house in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere with no parents or siblings; I moved here from my parent's house in the suburbs to start a life of my own living off the land and growing crops to sell at the local farmer's market. However, in my case, things don't turn out quite the way they should turn out as I expect them to.

Despite my luck right now, I cannot deny my past: I am the son of a wealthy businessman and a beautiful stay-at-home-mom whose only child (yours truly) was to inherit the family business. But I didn't want that, for I grew up with not only a wealthy father, but also a crazed alcoholic and abusive one. I'd rather not go into what my father did to me as punishment, but all I can say is this: I wanted nothing to do with him, including inheriting his whiskey manufacturing business; it's poison and I don't understand why people would drink such a thing. So I showed him my favorite finger and moved to a rural area far away from the accursed whiskey factory and the pollution that it caused in the hearts, minds and soul of mankind. But enough "touchy-feely" back-story, on with the real story!

As I was saying, I wasn't much to believe in magic, or dreams, or paranormal activities that usually followed them. But it wasn't until I started having a particular kind of dream; I may even say it wasn't even a dream at all, it was too damn realistic! And it would ultimately lead to a series of events that would plunge my world into another's, and eventually have myself pass into this new world.

My name is Jonathan Felix II, and this is the story of my adventures and my battles, my companionship and my rivalries with the denizens of Equestria, and overall the crossing of paths that should have never came to existence.

With every story comes a beginning, and my story starts with me...and with an entity...named Nightmare Moon...

* * *

I awoke with a start, sweat clinging to my body and my forehead like dew-fall in the summer morning. I buried my face in my hands after looking them over, and sighed. "Another dream about that...thing..." I mumbled, lifting my head up and wiping the perspiration off my hair and my face. I glanced over at the alarm clock on the bedside, which read 2:39am. _That's odd..._ I thought to myself, _I went to bed at 3:13. How could it be 2:39?_ Thinking it was just the clock getting broken again, I reached over and reset the clock, looking at my phone's clock; the most accurate one in the house.

Which read 2:40am. I shook my head a couple of times and glanced again at the clock, not believing what I was seeing. "Am I still dreaming?" I asked myself, scratching my head and wondering what the hell was going on.

"...possibly, young colt." A female voice antagonized from the darkness of my room. Startled by the hearing of this new voice, I attempted to flick on the light switch on my bed-side lamp, but the bulb was out. _I should have changed the damn light-bulb before I went to bed..._ I thought to myself. Slowly turning my head back to the darkness, I saw a shape of someone in the darkness; a slender woman, yet it didn't seem that human in my eyes. As the figure stepped into the moonlight shinning from my window beside the bed, I began to see more features of her: Dark blue hair that shone like the night sky, cold purple eyes that stared at me like a venomous snake, a set of armor covering her bust and waist which extended to her legs. But what really stood out was not these features: She had wings of a fallen angel; black as night, battered and featherless in some places, and a black crown that had a gemstone in the shape of a crescent moon. As she approached me, she grinned a sharp, toothy smile that showed fangs that she had for teeth. I cowered to my bedside in fear, and fell off my bed in the process of doing so.

Yet this...thing continued to advance to my position. I scrambled for the door, but the door itself seemed to cower away from me, and eventually faded from existence, with the rest of the room following suit. Soon, I was lying in the middle of cold, black nothingness; the darkness seemed to be all around me, yet I could see my self in the midst. The only thing that remained was the bright moon shining above me and the advancing figure. "There's nowhere to run from me, colt." The woman taunted, a forked tongue sliding over her lips hungrily. As I turned to face her again, my heart seemed to stop.

She was right there, standing over me, grinning like a mad woman.  
"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" I screamed, cowering away from her the best I could. But she was quicker, and grabbed my shirt, hoisting me up and then grabbed my shoulders, chuckling. Her grip was ice cold and sent a shock of pain throughout my body.

"I want a meal, why else would I be here?" She said, and I squirmed a bit under her grasp, but she held on like a crocodile going in for the death-roll. She then grabbed one of my arms, and with her fang-ridden mouth agape, bit my forearm. I yelled in pain, and in retaliation landed a blow against her in her face, causing her to yelp and release her teeth from my limb and cower back, clutching her mouth with her hands. I looked at my forearm: It hurt like hell from the attack, and was bleeding a good amount; the teeth-marks stood out like craters on a moon's surface, but what struck me about them was that they were in the shape of a crescent moon; she must have had two rows of teeth. "Oh, I absolutely _love it _when my prey fights back..." She taunted, spitting out a little bit of blood before leaping at me and pinning me to the ground. I tried with all my might to release myself from her grasp, but she was too strong; I was doomed.

"You are a curious type, John." The woman stated, running a finger down the side of my face and stopping at my chin, which she lifted and turned my head from side-to-side, examining it, as if trying to find another place to strike. "But it doesn't matter. You're mine now..." She taunted, raising a purple-aura-shrouded fist above her in the process of striking my head. Before she could do so, however, she was thrown back by some unseen force, screaming in the process. "No!" She yelled, fading away into darkness,"The spell is wearing off! I'm not going back until I have...!" As her voice trailed away, I saw that my room was slowly coming back to existence, and I slowly drifted off into unconsciousness.

"It's only a dream..." I said to myself as everything went black.


	2. The Fortune

I awoke that morning to the sound of a rooster calling the morning sunrise. I yawned, stretched my limbs and swung out of my bedside, landing on the hard wooden floor, startling my cat who was sleeping in his basket on the adjacent wall in front of me. I chuckled at him.

"Morning Sebastian." I said, walking up to him and stroking his back, causing him to purr and stretch his body and yawn in a distinct feline fashion. As I got dressed, I looked outside my bedroom window from where I was standing: it was a beautiful autumn morning outside. The maple tree just outside the windowsill was already orange and red, the leaves gently falling from its branches in the slight breeze. A sparrow chirped in the midst of this wash of color, sitting in a knob of the tree itself, possibly trying to keep warm in the chill air. As I looked on, I saw a younger sparrow try to fly out of the tree's knob, and take to the air. It made me think of my mother at home, and my father...

I shook the thought away, not wanting to have anything to do with my family at the moment; they were past, and my father I hated especially. I finished dressing myself in a hoodie, jeans and a t-shirt and I was about ready to put on my work shoes when I heard a knock at my door downstairs. It's probably the mailman delivering his daily rounds I thought to myself. That is before I looked at the clock, which said 12:28, which was odd because the mailman didn't come until about 2:30. What could this possibly mean? Was it a visitor? Was it a package?

Curiosity took a hold of me and I rushed downstairs to the living room, where I unlatched and opened the door to see who it was. Surprisingly, there was no one there. Instead, there was just a small package with an envelope attached labeled "To Jonathan Felix II". I picked up the package, and looked it over. I wasn't expecting something like this for quite a while, and I hadn't ordered anything recently, so why would something turn up out of the blue like this. "Eh, might as well." I said to myself as I opened the envelope and took out the contents: A letter, and a small skeleton key. I started to read the letter whilst looking over the key.

_Dear John,_

_This may sound weird and all, but I need your help._

"Oh boy," I said to myself, "Another donation/prank letter..." I continued to read.

_I have heard about your "strange" dreams you have been having lately, and they are connected to what I may be trying to find._

Hold on, how did this person know about my dreams I've been having?

_I would like to meet you in person. Take the key included in here, and don't open the package. Go to 3736 Maple Ave in your hometown at precisely 10:31pm and open the door with the key. Make sure you are alone and have the package in hand. We will talk more there._

_Sincerely, AnonymousHelper._

"That is just plain weird..." I said to myself as I placed the letter on the table beside me and put on my coat and opened the door once more to go to the market to pick up some supplies for this winter's season.

* * *

When i arrived at the market, it wasn't as busy as i would thought it would be: there was almost no activity, there were almost no vendors up, and those vendors that were up weren't doing anything but being on their smartphones and talking amongst one another. But i went to the usual places i go to whenever i go to the market: the seed shop, the soil shop, and the bakery for some fresh flour so i can make bread in the meantime. As i was walking back to my car to load up my groceries, i heard a familiar voice call out to me.

"Hey Jon!" An elderly voice called from outside a gypsy's tent, "Want your fortune today?" I chuckled.

"Not today Grace." I answered before starting my way back again.

"How bout if i do it for free?" Grace responded, causing me to stop and think for a bit. I used to go to her for my fortune every time i went to the market when I first came to this small town. And i haven't really gotten one in a while, let alone the chance to do so. And to get one for free...

"Alright." I answered her, walking to her tent with the groceries still in hand, following the gypsy lady inside.

* * *

The tent was just as i had remembered it to be when i was last here: roomy for a tent of it's type, drapes of many shades hanging like curtains on the walls and from the ceiling, a small table in the center with two chairs on either side facing north and south. Grace was seated on the one adjacent to the one in front of me, motioning me to sit.

"How long has it been since you had your fortune taken here, Jon?" Grace asked, shuffling her deck of unique tarot cards.

"I honestly lost track of time," I answered her honestly, "I haven't been since fall two years ago, and i really haven't had the time to get one taken..." Grace chuckled, placing the deck in front of me face down.

"Cut the deck into three piles when you are ready." She said, cracking her knuckles as she said so. I remembered this deck: it was that strange deck of horses that she used quite often when i was younger, and its been God knows how long since I've seen her pull this deck out of it's place. I wonder why she was pulling it out again...?

I cut the deck into three piles, and then placed them back into one pile, which Grace then took and started to deal the cards.

"Lets see what your past has experienced..." She said as she placed the card down, which depicted a stallion and a mare with a young foal, and was inverted. "This is The Couple." Grace explained, "It represents fellowship and friendship of those that you were close to. When it is inverted, it means that you have gotten astray from that fellowship and friendship, and want to drive all sources of that feeling away from you."

She was right. Actually, she was dead on. I watched as she drew the next card and placed it in front of me, depicting a pegasus with one hoof in a lake, and one hoof on a lakeside rock, wings outspread. Behind him was a sky half day and half night, with the sun and the moon on either side respectively.

"For your present," Grace started, "You have The Traveller. He represents the course of change and new discoveries within one's self, and can very well mean the turning point in your life."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked curiously. She smiled at me.

"That is for you to find out, Jon." Grace explained, drawing the last card in the process, "I alone cannot answer that question for you. You must find it within your travels." When Grace played the last card, her eyes grew wide and seemed very intrigued or very frightened. I couldn't tell which one.

"Whats wrong with this one?" I asked Grace, pointing to the card depicting a purple and blue swirling tempest tearing through a tower made of wood and stone, with a pair of red and orange eyes within the tempest itself. She then fixed her own, pale blue eyes on me with a stare that could very well frighten a grown man like myself (believe me, it did).

"You have the Tower for your future." She explained, "and you're on your way to a cataclysmic event. Something big is going to happen, and i don't know what. But all i can say is that it may not be good for you..." I trembled a bit at that statement in pure fright. What could possibly happen to me? And those eyes within the tempest did not look very friendly or peaceful at all. Grace then placed her hands out on the table, palm up. "Give me your hands." She commanded.

"Why?" I asked her, cautiously placing my hands on top of her's whilst doing so. Grace didn't respond other than closing her eyes and breathing in deep.

"I see a house." She started, "A house in the suburbs…were you told to go to this house, Jon?" Dumbfounded I nodded my head in reply. "I see a pathway through the door to a forest of darkness and gloom…" She continued, "And you shall find yourself in a world not like ours…A phrase keeps popping up in my head: 'Time is short, lone ranger, for the kingdom's six are in grave danger…'." She then paused for a little bit, and I admit, I got a little antsy.

"What else is there?" I asked her. She sighed again, then continued her reading.

"You are in some room with an altar, with you upon it, and six figures are surrounding you in a circle. Each one carrying an amulet of some power. You too have an amulet, but it's…shrouded in a fog; I cannot see what it is. The altar has an inscription upon it, but I cannot make out what it is saying…" She then opened her eyes and withdrew her hands from under mine. "Very good." She announced with a smile.

"What's good?" I asked Grace, confused by her announcement. Before she could answer, my phone in my pocket started to buzz. "Excuse me." I said before getting up from my chair and walking outside the tent to answer the call.


	3. A Strange Situation

I arrived at my house shortly after I ended the phone call with a strange voice; It was odd, and seemingly ominous of what was about to happen to me in the future, little did I know at the time. Dismissing the thought of the call I unlocked my door and strode into the farmhouse that I call home, where I was greeted by my old feline-friend meowing hungrily. It was then that I forgot to feed the poor fellow before I left.

"Alright, Sebastian, alright." I muttered, a little annoyed at his cries for sustenance, but it happened so often that it was a usual daily routine for me: I arrive, he starts to plead for food, I give it to him, boom, all is well. So I walked into the kitchen and set my groceries down on the table. My cat followed me into the kitchen, still crying out for nourishment to ease his hunger. As I poured some dry kibbles for Sebastian, which he eagerly waited for by rubbing against my legs and mewing, I spied the package and skeleton key on the table beside the front door, and noticed that there was something else next to them. It was a small neck-charm of sorts. I walked over to it: The pendant was shaped like a dragon's head facing forward, and had six, small, similarly shaped holes lining the bridge of it's nose I two rows of three. "How did this get here...?" I said to myself as I slipped the necklace around my neck and let it rest against my chest, "Whatever, it's cool looking anyway..."

Not even a second later after I slipped on the pendant, there was a loud knock at the door, which startled the hell out of me. "Who is it?" I asked cautiously.

"Is anyone home?" A rough-sounding, toned female voice emitted from behind the door, "I'm lost and I need directions..." Puzzled, I opened the door, and saw a woman of about my age standing in the doorway. She had short red and blue hair that was neatly ridged and swung to the side, and was dressed in stereotypical biker-gear: bike-goggles on the head, leather clothing, even a bandana that sported a lightning bolt across the front. I have to admit, she was kinda hot, and I felt my eyes wandering across her body, looking her up and down a couple of times. "Ahem," She coughed, a little irritation in her tone, "Eyes up here..."

"Oh, sorry." I chuckled, which the girl replied with only a groan and an eye-roll. "Anyways, where do you need pointers to? I'm sure I can point you in the right direction if you'd like?"

"I need to get to 3736 Maple Avenue," The girl stated, handing me a sheet of paper with the address written on it, "My friends told me to meet me there by 10:31pm tonight." I had to take a step back at that statement, recollecting the call that I had received from that strange voice.

* * *

"Hello?" I said into the phone, walking into the afternoon sunlight outside the tent.

"...Jonathan?" A female voice called from the other side, almost as a whisper.

"Yes, this is he," I answered into the phone, "Who is this?"

"Um...well...uh..." the voice tried to speak, but sounded very shy over the phone, almost as if she was a girl asking me out over a phone call, but soon that shyness became fearful tone, and she sounded like she was crying out for help away from the phone's receiving end, "Twilight! I can't do it!" A series of rustles were heard, then another voice piped in, also female but seemed a little more stern, yet gentle.

"Let me handle this, Fluttershy." The voice called out near the phone, which I then heard someone pick up the phone and fumble with it a bit. "Damn thumbs!" The voice mumbled.

"Who is this?" I asked again, a little weirded out and ready to hang up the phone because of the awkwardness.

"Sorry for my friend," the voice responded, "She's a little shy when it comes to meeting new people; it's her nature. My name is Twilight. Is this Johnathan Felix?"

"...Yes?" I answered again, a little annoyed.

"Good." The voice sighed in relief, "Anyways, have you encountered a lost girl yet? We haven't heard from her in a while." That was the last thing I could take.

"Look," I said, "If you have a 'lost girl', don't call random strangers like me; Call the police. I'm going to get off the phone now and I am going to be on with my day. Have a nice day." I then hung up the phone before anything else could be said.

* * *

"You..." I stammered, "You're the lost girl."

"What?" The girl in the doorway asked, a confused look on her face. Without a another moment to spare, I darted for the phone on the wall and punched in 9-1-1. After a few tones a voice piped in.

"911, what's your emergency?" A male voice rang from the other side.

"Yes," I started, "My name is Johnathan Felix II, and I would like to report a lost adult? And a possible address of concern?"

"Okay," The voice answered, "Give us a name and the address please?" Before I could say anything, a hand snatched the phone away from me and slammed it back on the wall. I turned to see the girl with her hand on the phone, an angry look in her eyes.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, "What the hell are you trying to-" I was silenced by the girl moving at an inhumane velocity to pin me to the wall, the same angry look in her eyes as before.

"Are you insane?!" She exclaimed, "I was asking for directions! Not asking to be reprimanded by humans!" I gave her a puzzled look.

"Humans?" I asked, chuckling, "Are you fucking kidding me? You actually believe you aren't a human? Cause you certainly look like one to me." The girl released me from her grasp, and backed away from me.

"Fine." She said, "I don't need your help. I'll find my own way then!" She then barged out the door before I could object to anything (like I wanted to anyway...). After a short silence, I heard a motorcycle engine starting up, then a squealing of it's tires as it drove away. I sighed, and closed my front door.

"What an egghead." I muttered before going up the stairs, not realizing that the amulet I was wearing had it's eyes glowing a deep blue.

* * *

I entered my room and flung myself on the bed, rubbing my face out of frustration and anger. Who was that girl anyway?How did she know the call? It didn't matter, nor did the envelope, which I remembered was still downstairs.

"Might as well dispose of that." I sighed as I walked back down the stairs and grabbed the envelope on the counter.

In that very moment, the power in the house flickered and then short circuited, plunging me into darkness.

"Ah shit." I mumbled, fumbling my way through the dark to the fuse box, "There goes the power. I thought I replaced the fuse a week ago?" Eventually, I made my way into the garage, where it was even darker than inside the house, and found the fuse box. But something was off…

"…where are the fuses?" I breathed, not believing what I was seeing. Sure enough, as i felt the empty slot of the box, the fuses were literally ripped out of their sockets. Who could have done this?

"Yes," a sultry, female voice sounded from behind me, "Who indeed?" I turned, and my heart almost stopped as I realized who the voice belonged to. The black winged, blue haired woman smiled a toothy grin. "Now, where were we, young colt?" She hissed as she stepped towards me.


	4. Meeting the Six

_Meanwhile, somewhere nearby..._

Raine stopped her engine at a nearby park, where she took off her goggles and sighed.

"Hey toots." A voice said behind her, which belonged to a greaser-looking man smoking a cigarette, "You wanna have a good time? Because with a body like that I can show you..." He then winked at her.

"Fuck off, pigfat." Raine snorted without looking at him, getting off her bike and striding over to a vending machine.

"Tch." The man replied, flicking away his cigarette and walking off, "What a bitch..." Within an instant, Raine was suddenly up close to the man, who was clearly startled by her approach.

"Oh, I can be a bitch if I want to, 'toots'. Just try me." She mocked, which she then turned around and started to walk away. Little did she know, the street lights around them started to flicker and burn out.

"...with pleasure..." The man snarled, revealing a set of gnashing, sharp fangs as the air around him shimmered as he started to change behind Raine's back. It happened so quickly, that when Raine turned around, the man had an insectivore-look about him: Wings of a dragonfly, green eyes, and his clothes changed to become battered and hole-ridden.

"Shit...!" Raine muttered, backing away from the man-thing in front of her, which had started to rise into the air, and let out a bellowing roar, causing a rift to open in the sky above them from which more man-things descended from. "Changelings! Where did they come from...?" Without hesitation, Raine dashed for her motorcycle, started up the engine, and sped off, with the changeling horde far behind her in pursuit.

* * *

From inside the garage, I heard a bellowing roar echo from somewhere in the distance, followed by a series of green lights flashing through the windows.

"Ah," the woman in front of me purred, "The cavalry has arrived. But that's her problem." In one swift motion, she reached out and grabbed me by my shirt collar and pinned me to the wall. "Oh, I remember this! It was in your..._nightmares_, right?" She then lifted her other hand and brought it down upon my arm, causing an intense burning sensation to emit from the area. I yelled in pain at the feeling and when the woman removed her hand, an imprint of a eyed-moon was literally burned into the skin of my arm, almost like a tattoo. It was so bad, that blood seeped from the area of the mark.

"What did you do to me?" I asked, clutching my horribly given, 2nd degree-burned arm and wincing in pain.

"I claimed you as mine, what else?" The woman answered, her snake like tongue sliding across her sharp teeth as she stepped back away from me. "Well, I got what I wanted from you, so I will take my leave and let you die here."

"Wait, what?" I stammered, my back hitting the wall as a surge of pain coursed through my body originating from my arm. The woman didn't say anything, and instead faded into the darkness, completely disappearing from existence. As my body hit the ground, I felt myself become weaker and weaker, until the darkness around me closed in and took over my senses. Soon, I blacked out completely.

* * *

Raine sped down the street and noticed the house where Jonathan lived. And also a strange, blue-winged woman fly from the roof of it. She then knew _exactly _who that woman was, and what had just possibly happened.

"Oh no..." Raine muttered as she drove into the driveway a little too fast and burst through the garage door, splintering it in two pieces.

"Jon?" She called out, getting off her bike, "You okay?" It was then she noticed him: lying motionless underneath the fuse box, a bloody mark branded on his arm. His eyes were lifeless and still. "Oh shit..." Raine said as she ran over to him, shoving over junk and boxes in the process that littered the garage floor. She struggled to pick him up, and dragged him to her motorcycle, where she heaved him on the backseat, wrapped his arms around her waist and sped off through the newly-made entrance.

* * *

"Jon?" A voice called to me from the distance, "Are you awake?"

"Who's there...?" I called, opening my eyes to see six women standing over me, one of which had a purple-glowing hand on my arm. "What the fuck?" I said, looking at the girl holding my arm.

"There," The girl clutching my arm said, "That should stop the effects of the poison. Fluttershy, could you please go get the bandages?" A pink haired girl just nodded and hurriedly walked off.

"Where...am I?" I asked, clutching my head and trying to stand up. A familiar face pushed me back down.

"Stay down, egghead." Raine informed, "You're still recovering from Nightmare-Toxin, and that shit is pretty damn dangerous. A moment too late and we would have lost you." The woman clutching my arm lifted her hand from the spot where the mark was, and I saw that the image of the eyed-moon was fainter than before, however the area around the mark was caked in dried blood and blisters, both ruptured and not. Just as she did so, the one dubbed "Fluttershy" came back with a handful of bandages, and handed them to the one tending my arm.

"What did you do to me? And who are you?" I asked the girl dressing my wound with the bandage, trying to sit up, but kept being pushed back down by Raine.

"Call me Twilight," The girl answered, not looking up from her current task at hand, "and I used my magic to detoxify the effects of the poison caused by the mark branded on your arm. Though it will sting and hurt for a few days, it won't cause any further harm." As she tightened the bandage, I felt a surge of pain course through the spot, causing me to wince and yelp in agony. "Sorry." Twilight apologized, readjusting the bandage to make it more loose and overall comfortable. "That better?" She asked, removing her hands from my arm. I turned my arm over a few times, examining the bandage.

"Y-yea..." I answered her, "Thanks." Raine and the others then gave me some space as Twilight extended her hand to help me up. As I grabbed her hand with the bandaged arm, I felt pain course through it again, and groaned.

"Take it easy, Jon." Twilight assured, "Recovering from Nightmare-Toxin takes a while, even after administering an antidote with magic." I looked around at the group in front of me, which was a pretty diverse one to boot. I was about to ask them their names when a flushing of a toilet was heard behind me. As the bathroom door creaked open, a pink-fluffy-haired girl walked out. As soon as she spotted me, her eyes lit up.

"YAY HE'S AWAKE!" She squealed, running up to me and tackle-hugging the living shit out of me, causing my arm to hurt again in the process. "How are you my name's Pinkie Pie but you can call me Pinkie for short wow you are pretty built and muscular for a human by the way what's your name?" _God damn she talks too fast..._ I thought to myself. Ranie grabbed Pinkie's shoulders and yanked her off of me, then shook the girl violently.

"Are you insane?!" She asked Pinkie.

"Actually, yes!" Pinkie answered cheerfully.

"I mean about tackling a cripple!" Raine shouted.

"Hey!" I shot back, getting up with the help of a curly-purple-haired girl, "Who you calling a cripple?"

"Well, you ARE the only one here with an injury..." Raine explained.

"Well at least my hair isn't colored like a god-damn Pride Parade!" I insulted. Pinkie gasped.

"Ooooooo what's a Pride Parade?" Pinkie asked curiously, her eyes widening with wonder and excitement, "Do they have a good time parading? I LOVE to parade!"

"GIRLS!" Twilight shouted above all of us, making us fall silent for a bit and cease arguing, "Can't you see we are in the middle of a crisis? We STILL don't know how in Celestia's name we are to get back, and Equestria could be in grave danger at this point! There are Changlings flying around, Nightmare Moon is back, and to top it all off, our charge almost DIED!" No one said a word after that statement, until I spoke up.

"I did receive an amulet from someone..." I suggested, showing the six girls the dragon's head amulet that I received at my house from the package given to me. Twilight gasped.

"...Where did you get that...?" She asked me, her voice in a shocked tone.

"I got it from a package from someone named 'Anonymous Helper', whatever that means..." I asked, folding my arms and letting the pendant drop to my chest again. As soon as it did however, it started to glow blue again.

"Um," The country-girl of the group spoke up, noticing my amulet, "Aint yer amulet thing-a-roo s'posed ta be not, ya know, glowing...?" Twilight walked up to me and examined it further, her hand glowing and outstretched in front of it.

"I'm detecting something inside of it..." She said, moving her hands in front of the pendant, "Something extremely ancient. Something...something..."

"...that's trying to help, perhaps?" The amulet spoke, it's glow pulsating with the ringing of it's metallic, male voice. This caused all of us to jump, and Fluttershy to squeal in terror and run out of the room.


	5. Carbon

"Correct me if I'm wrong," The girl with the swirly, purple hair finally said after a moment of silence, "But did that THING just speak...?"

"Oh yes," the amulet spoke up, causing everyone to jump again (save for Fluttershy, who was out of the room cowering in the corner out of fear), "I am quite capable of speaking, Rarity, element of generosity..." Rarity's eyes widened with unknown fear of the amulet as it addressed her name as well as her harmony element, even though she didn't know how. The amulet's eyes shone brightly for a couple of seconds, illuminating the dimly lit room, and then faded away as quick as it came.

"Analysis complete." The amulet announced, "Greetings, Elements of Harmony. And greetings to you, Descendant of Kin. I am Carbon, at your services..." My heart skipped a beat when I realized that the amulet was talking about me when it said "Descendant of Kin".

"Excuse me?" I asked, confused and a little frightened, "What do you mean by Kin?"

"Allow me to explain, Kin." Carbon responded before it's eyes turning a deep shade of purple, and emitting a beam of light on the wall in front of them, creating a holographic image of six dragons in a circle around an altar made of stone, which made my blood run cold.

"I think I have heard about the altar before..." I stated, but no one seemed to hear me.

"Wait a second." Twilight stated, dragging a protesting Fluttershy into the room as she did so, "Are those the Six Dragons of High Magic?"

"Yes they are." Carbon confirmed, "One for each of the different high magics: Light, Dark, Elemental, Chaos, Spirit, and Harmony." After a moment of utter astonishment from the group, Carbon continued. "Long ago, the Six Dragons of High Magic were created to be guardians and protectors of their chosen realms. For a couple thousand years, the realms remained balanced and in check by the Six. But, not all things last forever…" The image shifted, and began to single out two of the dragons, who were now shrouded in dark auras. "The Dragons of Chaos and Darkness soon began to realize their true powers and potential when working together, so they formed a pact with each other. The result was the birth of many monsters and dark creatures; were-beasts, vampires, ghouls, every monster that could go bump in the night. And with this newfound army of horrors, they attacked the other realms." The image then shifted to the original, however, there were no dragons, only the altar which was cracked in two, with dark eyes surrounding the area. "One by one, the Realms of the High Ones fell to darkness and chaos; pandemonium and destruction ran amuck like wildfire, and all hope seemed lost for the very existence of this universe." Fluttershy hid her face in terror at this statement. "However, within the darkness, there was a light of hope." The image shifted again, depicting a light emitting from the cracked remains of the altar. "The Dragon of Harmony, the creator of the Realms of Good, rose up and created the first first of the races of Harmony: Humans, Ponies, Griffins, all the mortal races that were able to do good and set the worlds right again. And what led these races, were the Kin: Special entities, one from each Race of Good, created by the Dragon of Harmony with the power to restore order and tranquility to the realms; to serve as the last hope and final act of defiance against the dark ones." The image shifted a final time. The eyes were gone, and the dragons were back. But this time, the two that had dark auras were now replaced with what looked to be draconic sarcophaguses, bound in chains. "The remaining Dragons of High Magic bound their two brothers into celestial prisons, and cast them into the nothingness from whence they were all born from. However, this came with a price. For the act of binding them, the Dark Ones took the knowledge and ability to use magic away from the race of mankind; the most powerful of all the Arcane, and rendered them Arcane-less. Finally, peace and tranquility was restored to the Realms once more. But this victory had it's costs…" The image then faded to reveal a depiction of a stone arch, which seemed to be a portal powered down. "To ensure that a cataclysmic event wouldn't happen again, the remaining Dragons of High Magic locked the realms away from each other; severing the connections and, to making sure that the Dragons that fell from grace never wake again, erased the memory of the Kin from their descendants, rendering them inexistent in the minds of normal mortals…" With that final statement, the image faded, and the light subsided.

"So what does this have to do with me?" I asked, still confused, crossing my arms.

"You are a descendant of a Kin." Carbon stated, "But, in order to be a Kin's Descendant, you are not simply born to be one: you must possess the spirit of one."

"So ya tellin us that this here fellow has the spirit of a Kin?" The Country girl said, examining me.

"I have a name, you know…" I grumbled.

"Yes, Applejack, Element of Honesty." Carbon answered, "Though he may not appear to be one, I'm sure that his true self shall be revealed in due time."

"Sorry," I asked, "But what 'true self'?" Before I could receive the answer I sought after, a roar emitted from the door, and a loud bang was heard as the door began to give way to the force behind it.

"What the hell was that?" I asked before being pulled by Raine into the next room: a kitchen and door to the basement. The others followed suit.

"In here!" Raine ordered.

"Shouldn't we turn on the-" I started, before being rudely interrupted by Raine shoving me down the stairs. As I fell down the steps, I felt the key fall out of my pocket and clang on the ground next to me where i fell. Upon hitting the ground, I blacked out.

* * *

"…Kin." A voice echoed from somewhere far away, "Kin…wake up…"

"Who's there?" I asked the voice, everything around me pitch black. Suddenly a light shone through the darkness, and i felt myself fall from the darkness and into an endless blue sky. I shouted in fright.

"Do not be afraid, Kin." The voice echoed, "You'll be fine." As soon as the voice subsided, I felt my descent being slowed, and I landed standing up on a platform in the sky, appearing as a grassy knoll floating in a world of endless sky. As I looked around, I saw that the sky before me was broken into two halves: The first was daytime: Illuminated by a bright sun. But the other half was a starry night-sky, lit up by a full moon.

"Where am I?" I asked out loud. A familiar voice sounded from behind me.

"This is your soul, Jon." A metallic voice rang. I turned to see Carbon floating behind me, a blue aura surrounding him. "Right now, your soul is conflicted: One side wishes to stay in the light, while the other is being slowly consumed by eternal night. I will help you. But you must first accept that you may never return home again by me helping you…"

"What?" I stated, "Why would I not return home…?"

"Your world and your destiny are connected, but they cannot be together as one reality. So you must choose between the destinies of being in the light of hope, or the corruption of your seemingly inevitable light-to-darkness…" Carbon explained. "And in accepting my help, you will not be the same being." Before i could answer, i felt the wound on my arm burn intensely, and the night beginning to consume the day before me. "Choose now, or forever be lost to nightmares…" I looked to carbon, then back at the night, and then at the mark. Surprisingly, I felt the urge to actually say no, but a part of me knew that it was not the right choice. The burning on my arm intensified, and I cried out in pain.

"Help me, Carbon." I pleaded, "Just make the pain in my fucking arm go away!"

"As you wish…" Carbon said, suddenly flying towards me till he was face-to-face with me. Before I could react, as I was eye-to-eye with him, his empty eye sockets started to glow with a brilliant light for a couple of seconds, and i blinked furiously.

"I am awakening the Kin inside you." Carbon stated, "Refrain from blinking."

"How can I when you are shining that damn light there!" I angrily shouted. I managed to keep my eyes open long enough at that moment, as I felt something enter my head. Not physically, but mentally. I then noticed that the wound on my arm was being healed at a miraculous rate, the bandages falling off revealing just a scar in the shape of the wound. With that, the light suddenly subsided, and Carbon's aura was snuffed out. Carbon's form then started to disintegrate.

"Carbon!" I shouted, trying to grab Carbon, but I only grasped a handful of blue dust.

"Don't worry, Kin." I heard something say in the back of my mind, causing me to jump a bit "I am still here. Not physically, but as one with you…"

"Woah…" I muttered, "That was pretty cool! How'd you do that? And why?"

"In order to achieve your goal," Carbon explained, "You must have help from a higher power. In this case, to awaken your Kin Form, you must have help of a Dragon of High Magic: Me…"

"What…?" I breathed, not believing what i was hearing, "You're a Dragon of High Magic?!"

"I am Carbon, the Dragon of Spirit." Carbon introduced himself, "You should be grateful it wasn't a different one who is poking around your soul and mind at the moment, let alone one of the BAD ones…" Before I could say anything else, I felt myself being pulled into the sky once more, towards the bright sun. "It's time to wake up Kin…"

That was the last thing I heard before blacking out once more.

* * *

"Jon!" I heard Raine's voice call out, awakening me, "Get up!" My eyes shot open and I saw Raine hovering over me, a concerned look on her face. She helped me up, and I realized that the pendant was no longer there. "What happened to your Pendant? To Carbon?"

"Don't worry." I explained, pointing to my head, "He's still here." Before Raine could question me any further, the rest of the group came tumbling down the stairs in a heaping ball.

"Ow…" Fluttershy muttered.

"That's goin to 'urt tomorrow…" Applejack groaned, shaking Rarity off of her back as she stood up.

"We don't have much time." Twilight announced, "We have to get out of here before they find us."

"Who?" I questioned cautiously. The roar sounded again, followed by a sound of the front door splintering. Fluttershy squealed in terror and clung to Raine like a bug.

"But where can we go?" Pinkie asked, then an idea struck her, "What about the Gateway we used to come here! If it can take us here, it can take us back, right?" Twilight sighed, and walked over to the far end of the room, where a large archway was located. It was green and blue in color, and had many depictions of horses across it's glassy surface. However, the only thing that stood out as unreal was the lock and chain that covered it's front, glowing with a strong, white and blue light.

"Its no use…" Twilight stated, "The way out of this realm is barred by the decree of the Dragons of High Magic, and thus this rescue mission was a one way trip it seems…" She turned to the others, "I'm sorry everyone, but I am afraid this is the end of the line." A loud booming noise could be heard from the basement door.

"Get them!" A familiar voice sounded from behind the door, "They're down there!"

"Not good…" I said to myself. Quickly, I looked at my surroundings for something I could use to open the gateway with. Then, it struck me. "Now, where is that thing…" I said to myself, pulling out the Skeleton Key from my pocket of my jacket. Without thinking, I strode over to the padlock on the Gateway.

"John?" Rarity asked, curious as to what it was I was doing, "What are you-?"

_CLICK_

The key made contact with the keyhole of the padlock, and a gust of wind suddenly blew from the Gateway as the lock disappeared in a flash of light, and the wall behind the Gateway opened like a double-door archway to reveal a watery surface, similar to a lake's reflective surface.

"You sure are full of surprises, John…" Twilight stated, "Lets go!" She then led the others and they all disappeared into the watery portal, it's surface making a splashing effect just as if they dove into water. I was about to run into the portal too, until I heard the door give way to the basement. I turned just in time saw a mist-like entity rush down the stairs and stop about a foot away from me. And in the darkness of the mist, I saw Nightmare Moon grinning, her eyes burning red.

"You cannot run from me forever, John." Nightmare Moon stated, "I have you Marked. You're mine!" At that last statement, a clawed, demonic hand reached out from the mist to grab me. But a pair of purple hooves grabbed me from behind from the portal instead, and pulled me through just as the doorway to whatever realm I was being taken to closed.


	6. Down the Rabbit Hole

"In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again." ― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

* * *

The first thing I remember after I was pulled through the portal was the feeling of falling forever, winds of some force rushing past me. As I fell into this void of endless length, I saw what seemed to be memories of my past coming to life before my eyes: I saw my parents arguing in a drunken stupor, myself finally leaving the house besides my mother's protests, my times of loneliness in my small farm house, the list goes on. But there were some recent ones too: my fortune being told, Raine arriving at my house, Nightmare Moon appearing before me and Marking my arm, and me arriving at the house where the main six were located at. But something was apparent in each memory, something oddly familiar, yet strange: there was some form of a dragon (be it a drawing, a figurine, a picture), as well as a moon somewhere. But why were they connected? And most importantly: Why were they in MY memories? _Your world and destiny are connected, but they cannot be together in one reality…_ Carbon's voice rang throughout my descent, repeating over and over, echoing throughout space and time. Suddenly a flash of light engulfed my entire being, and my descent came to a sudden halt as I was thrown out of the portal and onto marble floor.  
"Ow…" I squeaked, pain coursing through my body, especially my back that I landed on.  
"Welcome to Equestria, Jon." A familiar voice rang from in front of me. I looked up from where I was lying and saw only a purple winged unicorn smiling at me.  
"Did that horse just talk…?" I questioned myself. The winged unicorn then let out a very human-like sigh out of annoyance.  
"Why yes, I did. And my name is Twilight, thank you very much." The purple winged unicorn huffed, causing me to yelp in surprise and scoot my whole body towards the portal as fast as I could.  
"AH!" I screamed, pointing at Twilight "DEMON PONY!" Twilight gave me a funny look, then took a step towards me. "DON'T YOU MOVE!" I warned, getting up and grabbing a sword from behind me from what I thought to be a statue, brandishing it like a warrior defending himself, and causing Twilight to cower back suddenly, "Or I will gut you!"  
"Ahem…" A male voice grunted behind me, upon which the sword was engulfed by a blue aura and ripped from my hands, "That's not a very nice way to greet the Princess of Friendship." I turned to see a unicorn, one wearing golden armor. The sword then went back into its holster by his side.  
"GAH!" I screamed again, "ANOTHER ONE!"  
"What are you talking about, John?" Another familiar voice said above me, which I looked up to see a cyan Pegasus with rainbow hair hovering inches from my face, staring at me with maroon-colored eyes. To be honest, I almost shat my pants right then and there, but instead I yelped and fell over myself.  
"What the hell is going on…?" I groaned as I lay there, "First the nightmares, then the entity marking me, then portals, and now talking animals? Man, I must have seriously gone overboard with my imagination…"  
"Hate to break it to you John," The rainbow haired pegasus announced, "but we are actually NOT strangers. After all, carrying you to the house was a drag…" Then it hit me.  
"Wait a second," I said, "You're Raine? So that means that…the people at the house were…" I turned to the rest of the group, who all smiled at me in return, save for Rainbow Dash, who just had a look of annoyance. "Oh man, I REALLY must be dreaming…" A white Pegasus then came up to me, and swatted my arm, which stung quite a bit, causing me to yelp in surprise.  
"See?" she explained, walking away with her head held high, swishing her swirling mane in the process, "Not dreaming."  
"So let me get this straight." I announced, trying to piece everything together, "You saved me from an entity called Nightmare Moon. Just who the hell is she besides being a total bitch?"  
"Ah, Johnathan." A voice called from behind me. I turned to see a Winged Pegasus, dark blue in color and a mane that sparkled like a night sky, "Welcome to Equestria." The other six ponies bowed to this taller one, but I saw something about this Alicorn that got me into a full out defensive position instead.  
"OH SHIT!" I screamed, putting my fists up against the Alicorn, causing the others to rase their heads in shock, "IT'S YOU AGAIN! THAT MARK YOU GAVE ME REALLY HURT AND I'M GOING TO REPAY THE FAVOR YOU SWINE!" I felt a weight on my shoulder and turned to see Rainbow Dash holding me back.  
"John!" She reassured, "She's not Nightmare Moon! That's Luna, the Princess of the Night!" I then got very confused.  
"But why do they look the same…?" I questioned, lowering my fists slowly.  
"Because myself and Nightmare Moon are the same being." She explained. I got even more puzzled, and Luna sensed this. She sighed. "Long ago, me and my sister Luna ruled Equestria. However, I became jealous of the daytime as the ponies of the kingdom loved and played in the daylight, yet shunned and feared the night. In effect, I became consumed by jealousy and rage that I turned into the being known as Nightmare Moon. I then fought my sister, but lost when she imprisoned me in the moon for 1000 years. After that, I was released, but I wanted revenge. I captured the Elements of Harmony, and attempted to plunge Equestria into Eternal Night. However," She then turned to the Six ponies standing around me, "These six defeated me, and broke the curse of Nightmare Moon from within my soul. For that, I have since been eternally grateful."  
"But why then did I encounter Nightmare Moon before I came here?" I questioned.  
"Nightmare Moon since then became a separate entity from myself," Luna explained, "A manifestation of my hatred and jealousy; locked away in the deepest part of the Everfree Forest. Since then, she has been plotting to once again rise up and conduct vengeance on all those who opposed her. But for how she found you, and what purpose she has for you, we did not know…that is, until now…" I glanced at the bandages around my marked arm, and put a hand on it.  
"Why is this mark so important to her?" I asked.  
"The Mark of Nightmares is not only a mark, John." Twilight explained, "It's also a curse: for when one becomes Marked, they become in the likeliness of Nightmare Moon herself." I became a little frightened at this notion. "When one receives the brand, they not only become marked physically, but also spiritually. Sooner or later, you will become a servant of Nightmare Moon herself."  
"Why would I want to do that?" I asked, trembling at the thought of myself bowing down to that thing that almost grabbed me.  
"It's not a matter of choice of the mind," Luna explained, "But it's a matter of what your heart chooses. You may say that you don't want to serve her, but the darkness in your heart may say otherwise. Without proper training, your Mark will brand you as a servant to the Mare in the Moon, and you will forever be an adversary to all of us…" She had a very gloom and serious look on her face that chilled me to the bone. To be honest, I was a little frightened. But I shook it off.  
"So then, how do we fix this?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest, "I really don't think I have any intention of hurting any one of you guys…yet." At that statement, I gave them an evil look, causing all of them to cower a bit. I laughed, "I'm joking guys" I assured. Fluttershy, on the other hand, was still cowering behind Rarity, whimpering pitifully.  
"Well," Twilight thought, "We should visit Zecora. She lives in the Everfree Forest, and is a powerful Unicorn to boot. She may have knowledge on how to fix something as grim as this."  
"Alright then!" I announced, "What's the quickest way there? We could…we could…" I suddenly was overcome with a wave of tiredness, and fell to the ground. "Man, I'm am beat. I may just…." That was the last words to come out of my mouth before I fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

"John." Carbon's voice called from the back of my mind, in the midst of blackness that surrounded my consciousness, "It is time you learn."  
"Learn about what?" I asked, slowly opening my eyes to find myself in a dark room. I sat up, and saw that I was laying on an altar of blue stone. And all around me were figures with pendants around their necks, all motionless and statue-like, clothed in black and blue robes. I then realized where I was. "This place was told to me through a fortune teller…" I breathed, getting up off of the altar and facing the robed statues. I glanced down, and saw the inscription on the Altar: "Johnathan Felix II: The Marked Kin of Terra."  
"This is your heritage, John." Carbon's voice continued, "This is the remnant of the Kin before you. And now it is time for you to claim what was been set before you by your ancestors…" One of the figures suddenly started to move. It approached me, taking the hood off of his head as he did so, revealing a surprisingly similar face to myself, yet it looked very much like…oh god…  
"Wait…" I breathed, clenching my hands into fists, "You are…" The figure smiled at me.  
"Hello, my son…" My father spoke to me, a grin spread across his face.


End file.
